


The Sassenach Lover

by Bittodeath



Series: Daichi Rarepair Week 2017 [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, British Daichi, British Ushijima, Drunken Kissing, Falling In Love, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Injury, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Minor Violence, Navy, Non-Graphic Smut, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Daichi Sawamura/Sugawara Koushi, Past Relationship(s), Pirate Ushijima, Sharing a Bed, Side Sugawara Koushi/Shimizu Kiyoko, Slurs, Spanish Bokuto, past Sawamura Daichi/Shimizu Kiyoko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 13:43:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9659819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bittodeath/pseuds/Bittodeath
Summary: Everything starts with Daichi losing the Karasuno to the pirate captain Ushijima - but then, Ushijima makes an offer he cannot refuse: his life and freedom against his crew's safety.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Daichi Rarepair Week, prompts Rivalry and Distance.

Daichi spat out blood before raising his eyes defiantly. His uniform was all torn and bloodied, he had lost his pistols, and no longer had his sword. The fact that his hands were tied behind his back weren’t helping. He clenched his jaw. Bloody hell, those pirates were tougher than their reputation. His eyes darted to the side, to his captive crew. Sugawara was gritting his teeth at prodding hands, and Hinata was shaking with fear. Poor kid, he just had to be captured on his first time at sea. Now he just had to hope he could somewhat negotiate their lives, if not their liberty. His crew was his responsibility, after all.

“Bow your head before the Captain”, the pirate standing behind him said, gripping his hair harshly to push his head down.

Now all he could see were a pair of worn out boots.

“Tendou”, a voice rumbled above him, “this is no way to treat an officer of the King.”

The pressure on his head stopped and he started to breathe again, raising his head to look at the pirate captain standing before him. He almost gasped at the sight. Of course he had heard stories about the Cursed captain of Shiratorizawa – but all the rumours paled when compared to the reality. Ushijima Wakatoshi was tall, and broad also, hiding the sun from him. A purplish red cloth was tied around his head to protect him from the sun, but short brown hair peeked from under it, sticking to his face from the heat. He had those incredible deep green eyes, sun kissed skin, and a golden earring. Muscles rippled under his white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the fabric largely open on his torso and revealing a web of pale scars. His dark pants were worn out, leather belts hanging on his hips, his sabre hanging low on his right hip. Right, Ushijima was left-handed.

Daichi focused on controlling his breathing, feeling something he couldn’t admit stirring inside of him. He had spent years repressing those despicable urges, he could resist a pirate. Breathing hard, he willed the feeling away. _Don’t let your mind wander. Focus. Focus. You have to save your crew. Suga, Hinata, Kageyama, Asahi, you have to save them all. It is your duty._

“Captain Sawamura”, Ushijima rumbled, “I am willing to negotiate your crew’s lives. Please, follow me to my cabin. Tendou, untie him. He knows he has nothing to win from attacking me. And make sure his men aren’t injured. Give them water.”

It was true, and even if he had, Daichi had no strength left. He felt Tendou cut his ties and roughly pull him up as he stumbled after Ushijima. He followed him, shivering when the pirate captain closed and bolted the door after him. He straightened under the inquisitive, piercing gaze of Ushijima, staring back and analysing the situation. Either way, he was screwed.

“Sit down”, Ushijima finally said, gesturing to a chair in front of what had to be his desk.

Daichi complied, not sure of how long his legs would support him anyway. The pirate handed him a glass of water and Daichi stared at him in disbelief. He was by far being nicer than what the Navy officer expected from a renowned pirate. Still, something in the way Ushijima stared at him made him uneasy.

“Here is my offer, officer Sawamura”, the pirate said. “I deliver your crew to the nearest English harbour, harmless and free. I won’t ask for a ransom either. However, I expect you to stay as my prisoner, and renounce to the idea of ever being rescued by the Navy.”

Daichi gulped. He had expected to have to fight teeth and nails for his crew, and here Ushijima was offering to free them… if only he stayed? What kind of nonsense was that?

“Captain, you know my family is wealthy”, Daichi finally said. “They would pay a great ransom to have me back.”  
“I will accept nothing but what I proposed”, Ushijima said, his tone making clear that protesting any further would be defying him and his authority. “Your life in exchange for your crew’s.”  
“And if I refuse?”

Ushijima stared at him for a long moment, before his lips crooked in a smile.

“You won’t.”

Daichi inwardly cursed. Of course he wouldn’t trample a possibility of saving his crew, but…

“I don’t understand your motives”, he finally said. “If not for a ransom, I’m of absolutely no value to you.”  
“I can prove you otherwise”, Ushijima stated, “but that’s not your problem. It’s mine. Now, do you agree on these conditions?”

Daichi bit his lips. He didn’t really have a choice. Goodbye his perfect life as a young Navy officer, goodbye his lovely fiancée back there in England, goodbye his friends, his reputation, his comfortable life. He took a breath and nodded. Ushijima extended a hand, and Daichi shook it firmly. The captain’s hand was larger than his own, with calluses on his palms and fingertips, rough and threatening.

“I will give you some time to say your goodbyes to your crew”, Ushijima stated, “in my presence, so don’t try anything funny.” He peered at Daichi. “A throat is so easily cut.”

Daichi tensed.

“We have a deal, don’t we?”  
“We do”, Ushijima agreed, “as long as you behave.”

Something was off and yet Daichi couldn’t pinpoint what. But he had this uneasy feeling settled in his stomach and couldn’t quite make it go away. And so he said his goodbyes, mostly thanking his men for their bravery, encouraging them, giving them advice. It was his duty, after all. Hinata stared at him with large teary eyes when he arrived to him, bursting into tears.

“Captain”, the boy wailed, and God what was a kid this young doing so far from home?  
“It’s going to be alright”, Daichi said with a smile. “Take good care of your sister, will you? And work hard with Kageyama. I know he’s not the easiest person to deal with, but you two can make wonders, I know this.”  
“Yes, captain! I’ll make you proud of me, captain!”  
“Good”, Daichi said one last time.

His heart tightened in his chest when he arrived to the last of his men. His second, his first-mate, the one keeping them all together. Sugawara’s head was hanging low, not raising even at Daichi’s approaching steps. He had been his closest friend for long, so long…

“What did you negotiate to grant us this liberty”, he said, his voice full of reproach, “tell me? What did you offer that these barbarians might want? Do these beasts want to become civilized? Will you teach them how to write?”

Daichi had rarely seen him so angry. He crouched down and grabbed his head, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“Nothing”, he said. “I didn’t offer anything. The only condition is my staying here as a prisoner. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Sugawara blinked a few tears away.

“But you have to go back home”, he said, “Kiyoko, she’s…”  
“Sugawara, you’re the only one I can ask this from: please, take care of her for me. As a brother.”  
“Daichi”, Sugawara cried out, “she’s pregnant with your child!”

Daichi stared at him, dumbfounded.

“By not returning, your exposing her to mockery and spite, you _have_ to go back and marry her!”

Daichi breathed, trying to clear his thoughts.

“Then marry her”, he finally said. “Protect her reputation. I’m entrusting them to you.”  
“But-”  
“Sugawara”, Daichi cut him, “if you ever loved me, please, take care of her.”

Sugawara was crying now, unable to formulate his thoughts into words. He simply nodded. Daichi smiled and pushed back his silver hair.

“It’ll be okay”, he said, “it had never been a question of love between us.”

Sugawara stared, and Daichi knew perfectly what he was thinking. _“But you two were so close! She gave you her virginity and you weren’t even married yet! She trusted you so much, Daichi, how could you…”_

“Never”, Daichi repeated, pressing his lips to his friend’s forehead, and Sugawara blinked. “She will tell you”, he added with a smile before gently tilting Sugawara’s head to capture his lips in a passionate kiss, filled with desperation and all the things he never said. “Goodbye”, he said as he pulled away immediately, standing up and turning his back on him, squaring his shoulders.

“Daichi!” Sugawara cried out.

But Daichi didn’t look back.

 

Ushijima was in his cabin when Daichi came back, unsure about how to face his jailer. The pirate was sitting at his desk, counting, mumbling to himself and then jotting down some numbers and letters. He seemed really focused, and there was something- Daichi reeled back at the thought, clenching his jaw. This man was a _pirate_ , the man who took his freedom, a barbarian, a ruffian, a low-life, a-

“I can feel you insulting me in your mind, officer Sawamura”, Ushijima said without raising his head. He wrote down a few things more before meeting his eyes. “Do I really deserve all of them?”  
“You are a pirate”, Daichi spat out, “and my duty is to get all of you beasts hanged high.”

Ushijima smirked, but didn’t say anything more. Daichi quickly became uncomfortable, not knowing what to do with himself, the dried blood on his clothes sticking to his skin and making him feel even worse than he probably was.

“There is a basin with clean water in that corner”, Ushijima said. “If you want to wash yourself before dinner.”

Daichi stared at him. So he wasn’t going to be chained in the hold? He wasn’t going to be starved?

“Yes”, he finally said. “Thank you”, he added, though he didn’t really know why.

Ushijima didn’t deserve his thanks or his respect. He didn’t deserve anything from him. But he was giving him more than Daichi would have pretended to and it was making him uneasy, like Ushijima had started a chess game without him knowing and was slowly pushing him to his fall.  
He made his way to the basin and washed his hands into the water that turned a strange reddish pink. Pulled off his blood-stained shirt and teared uniform jacket, wincing as it caught to his skin. He had forgotten he got injured. He had forgotten about the sharp blade digging into his flesh, into his side. It would probably need stitches.  
He turned to look around, in the vain hope to find equipment. He was only met with Ushijima’s green eyes. And for some reason, the gaze made him shiver. It shouldn’t have, he thought as he willed his eyes away.

“You are injured”, Ushijima said in his deep baritone – a beast’s voice, he added in his mind.  
“It’s nothing”, he retorted.  
“You need stitches”, the pirate said, pushing his chair away.  
“Do not come any closer”, Daichi warned him, grabbing the razor next to the basin.

But Ushijima stepped closer and closer, wrapping his hand around the blade before tearing it away from Daichi’s grasp. Daichi gulped.

“You need stitches”, Ushijima said once again, grabbing a wooden box nearby. “Sit”, he added, pulling a stool, his hand warm and heavy on Daichi’s naked shoulder.

And Daichi sat, because the hand was too strong, and he was tired. His thoughts started to whirl around – Kiyoko and the dark secret they shared, Kiyoko he had abandoned, but at least she would be fine with Sugawara, Kiyoko and his child growing in her, a child he would never see, Sugawara he would not see again, never. He bit his lip when the small hook dug into his flesh to pull the edges of the wound closer, slowly closing it with a thread – a glaring red thread. Ushijima’s hands were big and warm on his skin, and yet his movements were small and precise, and it was amazing how careful these hands were on a prisoner.

“Why do you do this”, Daichi said, “what use is it for you?”

Ushijima’s hands left his skin and he shivered, suddenly feeling cold. The pirate skirted him and crouched beside him, staring into his eyes.

“Because I can see right through you, officer”, he said. “And you are the man I need.”  
“What do you need me for?” Daichi asked, wary.  
“You’ve seen my men”, Ushijima said. “Beasts, as you call us. Barbarians, only interested in looting and killing and a warm body to comfort their lonely souls.”  
“Yeah”, Daichi breathed, and he knew that – Sugawara had been his only anchor to civilization on his ship, and a part of him missed London and everything that went with it. But it was easier to bury his sins when he was at sea, far from the brothels and all the temptations that went with it. The sea had saved him when he was about to break.  
“I need someone learned and smart with me”, the pirate said. “And who could be better than an officer of his Majesty?”

Daichi smirked but didn’t answer. Part of him believed what Ushijima said – that he wanted an educated company. The other part, however, the beast that lurked inside of him as it did in all men, that one knew it wasn’t everything. Ushijima had ulterior motives, and he would discover what they were.

“Set the table”, the pirate said, and Daichi tensed. He wasn’t a domestic to be ordered around, he was- _A prisoner_ , a voice inside his head said.

Slowly, he pulled up, and Ushijima’s fingers brushed against his skin, making him flinch. He glared at him, but Ushijima was unfazed, staring back as if he had expected this reaction. _Don’t look away_. But as much as he tried, he instinctively took a step back when Ushijima leant closer.

“Are you afraid of me?” Ushijima said, and he was too close and too warm.

Daichi gulped.

“I’m not”, he replied.  
“Then look at me.”  
“I refuse.”

Ushijima’s rough hand closed around his jaw, forcing him to meet his gaze. Slowly, a smile stretched the pirate’s lips.

“You’re not afraid of me”, he said, leaning forward, “you’re afraid of yourself”, he murmured, breath fawning over Daichi’s neck, lips brushing against his ear and making him shiver.

He was too close, way too close, crowding his personal space, warm and threatening, and Daichi didn’t know what to do – pull him closer or push him away, so he remained still. He winced when the hand left his jaw to violently pull at his hair.

“You’ll forget all about your fear”, Ushijima promised, “about who you were before, who they made you.” His hands grabbed Daichi’s head in a strangely soothing gestures, thumbs resting gently on his cheeks. “You will only exist here to be what you were meant to be. Let go of their hate and their disdain.”

Trembling, Daichi jerked away.

“You know _nothing_ about me”, he seethed. “How could you be so arrogant as to pretend you do?”

Ushijima took a step forward, trapping him against the wall, and for whatever reason, Daichi didn’t hit him. Something told him Ushijima wouldn’t mind, but as much as he was angry, he wasn’t angry with _him_.

“I _know_ ”, Ushijima said, “I know how it feels to resist, how it feels to imagine their scorn if they were to discover. I know how it feels to be trapped into a loveless marriage, how _humiliating_ for the both you it was to conceive a child. We’re the same.”  
“I’m nothing like you”, Daichi said, staring at him, nails digging into his palms to distract him from how close Ushijima was.

Ushijima’s features hardened and Daichi found himself fearing for his life. A relentless grip pressed on his jaw and suddenly Ushijima was invading his mouth – he was everywhere and it felt like drowning, his warm presence on his lips, how his tongue claimed his mouth, the same way he had claimed his ship, forcing him to gasp for air, but not stepping back, never, until Daichi surrendered to the pressure, to the bittersweet feeling, until he stopped fighting and started to welcome him. Until his body stopped trembling with fear and anger, and shivered with pleasure, anticipation and surrender. And then Ushijima pulled away, green eyes staring into his own.

“We are the same”, he murmured, and Daichi no longer had the desire to fight him. “You can deny it as much as you want”, he said, “but your body will always betray you.”

Ushijima finally stepped away and turned his back on him.

“Now set the damn table, officer. I’m hungry.”  
“Daichi”, he replied, and Ushijima turned to look at him. “My name. It’s Daichi. I’m no longer an officer.”

Ushijima smiled somewhat sadly and exited the cabin.

Daichi’s knees buckled and he fell down, overwhelmed. _Oh Lord_ , he breathed, gripping his hair, _what am I doing?_

 

“No”, Daichi said. “I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you.”

Ushijima rubbed his face, tired of arguing with him for everything. He dropped on the bed.

“Fine”, he groaned, “do as you want.”

He threw a blanket at him before stepping out of most of his clothes to get under his covers. Daichi’s face scrunched up, but he didn’t say a word. Of course he’d prefer to sleep in a hammock with the others, but he also knew how bad of an idea it was. How deeply these men hated English Navy – and how he wouldn’t survive the night if he were to sleep in the same place as them. He folded his coat, making sure the buttons were tucked on the inside part to form a makeshift pillow, putting his head down on it as he laid his tired body on the wooden floor. The gentle rolling of the ship was soothing – at least, there was something familiar about it. He pulled the cover up and groaned when it realized it stopped at his waist. Still, he stubbornly closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do until his crew was delivered safely to an English harbour, as Ushijima had promised. He’d better have some sleep.

Ushijima waited until he was sure Daichi was sleeping, his deep breaths a clear indication if anything. Then he got up in the dark and tip-toed up to him, fingers brushing against his forehead to make sure he was sleeping soundly. And he was, though he would probably wake up with a stiff neck and a crick in his back if he stayed on the floor. Grunting, he grabbed him under his knees and shoulders before lifting him up, laying him down on the bed, on the side against the wall before taking off his boots, because there was no way someone slept in a bed with their boots on. Then he laid back by his side, hoping he wouldn’t throw a tantrum in the morning, when he’d wake up.

He was woken up by a sharp jab at his ribs that made him double over and effectively pulled him out of his sleep. Daichi was staring at him, so obviously angry he would have been threatening if he hadn’t been as harmless as a kitten with the Damocles sword hanging over his head.

“What the hell am I doing in your bed?” he seethed.  
“Are you always so talkative and violent in the morning?”  
“Answer the damn question, pirate!”  
“You slept better here than on the floor, didn’t you? But you’re too stubborn to admit it. Now if you’re so lively when you wake up, why don’t you go to the kitchen and see how you can help?”  
“You want me to work in the _kitchen_?”  
“I want you to be useful, nuance”, Ushijima said with a smile, “and I can’t see you climbing up the mast to help with repairs, nor flying the Jolly Rogers.”

He laughed at the face Daichi made, but within a few minutes, the officer was dressed and leaving the cabin for the kitchen.

 

Two weeks later, they were letting the _Karasuno_ ’s crew in Antigua. Daichi had gotten used to work on the ship, doing menial things like helping in the kitchen, feeding the animals they had on board and cleaning the cabin – and reading some of the books Ushijima had there, discussing them afterwards with the captain. He was knowledgeable and intelligent, and quickly Daichi found out he enjoyed these discussions. He didn’t mind sleeping in the same bed anymore, and had gotten somewhat comfortable around Ushijima. The memory of that kiss still burnt in his mind, but he was determined to forget everything about it. Ushijima hadn’t done something like that again, though sometimes his hands lingered on Daichi’s shoulders, or his gaze got a little heated when he thought Daichi wasn’t looking at him. He was getting used to it.

“Where are we going?” he asked Ushijima after closing the door, the captain looking sternly at several maps.  
“Nassau”, Ushijima said. “The men are getting restless with their pockets full of gold, they ache to spend it in the inns and brothels.”

Daichi shivered. Nassau was known to be the den of pirates from each and every country, so rotten no Englishman of noble lineage would willingly set foot on it. He himself had never gone there – and had hoped he would never. But this was probably going to be part of his life now, the regular stops to Nassau to sell merchandise and have the men distract a bit before going back to a life of looting. And it was too early for him to try to flee, everyone’s attention was still focused on him, the _Englishman_. The _Sassenach_ , as Tendou called him. Which was ridiculous considering Ushijima was as English as he was. But Tendou respected Ushijima, while Daichi meant nothing to him.

The winds were favourable and it took another two weeks to get to Nassau, the place as decadent as Daichi had imagined it. By now he was starting to miss his home, his friends, and the concept of intimacy – though he couldn’t really complain, he had some kind of intimacy since he shared the captain’s cabin.

“Do you want to go on shore?” Ushijima asked as the men left the ship to go and squander their fortune.  
“What for?” Daichi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ushijima shrugged.

“Drinking. Brothels. Gambling. Fighting.”  
“Do I have to remind you that there is nothing in my pockets that could be used as a payment?” Daichi snarled. “Plus I don’t want to.”  
“Good”, Ushijima simply said.

The pirate opened a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whisky with a satisfied clack of tongue. 

“You’ll drink with me, then”, he added, holding out two glasses. “Irish whisky.”

Daichi hummed and shrugged.

“I don’t see why not.”

Ushijima filled his glass and they clanked them together, the alcohol burning their throats, but it felt good, lighting a fire in Daichi’s veins.

 

Daichi’s mind felt fuzzy – how many drinks had he had? He couldn’t remember, but- Oh, he was holding the bottle and drinking directly from it. Well, might as well go for it. He was slumped against the wall, Ushijima next to him, though the pirate seemed to be way more alert than he was.

“It wasn’t love”, he heard his voice slur, “but we were friends, you know? Like, we protected each other.”

Ushijima hummed and Daichi turned to look at him, eyes glazed over by the alcohol buzzing in his system. His eyes settled on Ushijima’s lips, and it seemed to him they were getting closer and closer – they were, indeed, he realized when their lips met and Ushijima gently claimed his mouth. He didn’t even think to resist, pressing into the kiss and clumsily looping his arms around his neck. He chuckled against Ushijima’s throat.

“I’m so~ drunk”, he said. “It feels good.”  
“You just have to let go”, Ushijima murmured against his ear.  
“I might just do that”, he hummed, searching thirstily for Ushijima’s lips. “Kiss me again, captain.”

Ushijima didn’t answer but kissed him again. And everything tumbled into pleasure.

Daichi woke up with a pounding in his head and his heart about to spill over from his lips. He groaned: everything ached.

“Drink”, a voice said, and he complied before going back to sleep.

When he woke up again, he was clearly feeling better – that is, his head no longer felt like it was going to split open and his stomach had settled a bit. He couldn’t say that, though, for the soreness in his whole body, and the slight flashes of pain coursing through it. He blinked, wincing at the light coming in through the windows.

“How do you feel?” a voice asked.

He turned slightly, enough to see Ushijima, still hunched over his books and maps. The pirate was half-naked, but considering how hot the weather was, it wasn’t something strange.

“Like I got ran over by a whole cavalry”, Daichi answered.

Ushijima chuckled and straightened up.

“I’ll go get you something to eat”, he said before heading out.

Daichi nodded, before pushing back the covers to get out of bed. His heart nearly stopped when he assessed the situation: he was entirely naked, which in itself was already strange, but there were dark blue, purplish bruises blooming on his body. Now he had already got into fights before, but this was nothing like it. There was the clear imprint of hands and fingers on his hips, and on the back of his thighs, and other, smaller marks on his throat and chest and stomach and thighs, and he bit into his fist to contain his scream.

Everything was so fuzzy in his head, he couldn’t remember, he-

_“Just let go”, Ushijima’s voice murmured in his ear, and his body was arching in his touch, begging for more._

Daichi gasped as bits and pieces came back to his mind – his tumbling to the bed and Ushijima’s hands on him, warm and rough, and their heated kisses, the foreign touch between his legs that soon turned to pleasure, and the pain of feeling split open, and always Ushijima watching him and murmuring soothing words, the slow drag of his hips quickly turning Daichi’s pained gasps to moans of pleasure, the ascension and the fall.

He stumbled out of bed and wobbled to the basin of water to splash his face with the lukewarm water. His heart felt like it was trying to leap out of his chest, beating with fury, his body quickly growing hot at the memories. His fingers clenched around the basin as he tried to get a grip on himself. He was so focused on that he didn’t hear Ushijima coming back and startled when two arms wrapped around him.

“Are you having regrets?” the pirate asked, fingers skimming from his chin down his throat before settling over his heart.  
“I don’t know”, Daichi gasped, and his body was trembling but there was no stopping it.  
“And it frightens you”, Ushijima murmured, pressing his lips to his shoulder. “Let me ease your worries.”

Daichi’s fingers slowly loosened. And he let go.

 

“ _More_ ”, he moaned, fingernails digging into Ushijima’s chest, hips moving wantonly against his, breath shallow and turning into gasps of pleasure.

There was a gleam in Ushijima’s eyes, something he had never seen before, but he was too far gone to worry about it. There was only the pleasure, inching closer and closer until-

“I love you.”

It was several minutes later before he managed to answer, sprawled over Ushijima’s chest and smiling.

“I love you too.”

The last five months spent together, living so close and sharing so much, had definitely left their imprints on them. Something in Daichi’s proud step when he walked on the deck, not bothering to hide the painfully red marks on his body. Something in the way Ushijima smiled when it was just the two of them. Something, in the sweet, stolen kisses in dark corners that made Tendou gag every time he walked in on them. Something about how the men called Daichi the _Sassenach Lover_ after hearing Tendou say that, leaving the _Captain’s Bitch_ fall into the abysses. There was something, very, very close to happiness in this.

But Daichi had never been one to believe in happily ever after’s, and neither was Ushijima. It was only a matter of time, before their crystal clear dream was shattered.

 

It happened in a way Daichi hadn’t foreseen, and it took way longer than he would have thought. An attack from Spaniards. It happened so quickly – and he was still a prisoner in name, not allowed to fight alongside the men, but holed up in Ushijima’s cabin – he didn’t fully realize what was happening before he was taken from the _Shiratorizawa_ and dragged to the _Fukurodani_.

“A prisoner, captain”, the men holding him said, and though Daichi’s Spanish was rusty, he could understand that much.

Said captain turned around and Daichi was greeted by a man about his age, but his hair was already grey and white, tucked under his tricorne. He had joyful features and golden eyes seizing him up quickly.

“And who might you be?” he said. “Let go”, he added for his men. “A pirate’s prisoner is ours to help.”  
“Navy Officer Sawamura Daichi”, he answered, looking around. “I was the captain of the _Karasuno_ for his Majesty George II.”

The Spanish captain’s eyebrows shot up.

“An English gentleman, then”, he said with a thick accent. “Taken prisoner by Ushijima and his crew, I assume.” He smiled. “Well then, we will make sure you’re brought back to your homeland, officer.”

Daichi’s throat tightened. He didn’t want to, didn’t mean to, didn’t-

“Thank you, sir”, he said, graciously bowing his head.  
“We will also make sure those beasts are properly hanged”, the captain added.

 

That night, Daichi didn’t manage to sleep. He heard clearly the sound of a fight outside, the roar of pirates and soldiers, but no one came for him.

“Stay here”, the captain – Bokuto – had said before heading out.

He scrambled for the door, managed to open it.

“Stay inside!” a soldier cried out.

Daichi didn’t know what happened, probably an accident, but he was knocked out at the same moment.

“Where is Daichi?!” Ushijima roared.  
“We have to go, captain”, Tendou replied, “or we will not make it out alive.”

He was right, of course. Gritting his teeth, Ushijima gave his orders, and soon the _Shiratorizawa_ was sailing away, leaving the _Fukurodani_ behind with, on board, the _Sassenach Lover_.

 

Two months later, Daichi was arriving in London. There had been no news of Ushijima and his dangerous crew since they escaped Bokuto’s grasp. “Licking their wounds somewhere”, Bokuto’s first-mate, Akaashi, had said. They had brought him to an English Navy ship that was going back to London, the _Nekoma_. And its captain, the cunning Kuroo, was a man who particularly hated pirates after his second-in-command, called Kenma, had been taken as a prisoner by the infamous Daishou on the _Nohebi_. He had been more than glad to help one of his comrades, a fellow countryman, to get back to London. And now Daichi was standing in London, wondering where to go. What to do. And there was only one place left for him.

He knocked at the door, not expecting anyone to recognise him. He looked like any sailor gone on sea for weeks – he didn’t have his uniform anymore, just some ragged clothes thrown on his back. Okay maybe _rag_ was being harsh on the clothes; but- They were not Ushijima’s clothes. They didn’t smell like him. There was nothing left.

The door opened on a maid, a young girl with pink cheeks and blond hair who stared at him dubiously.

“I was told this is the Sugawara household”, he said with a smile. “Is your master here?”

She shook her head.

“He’ll be back for dinner”, she answered, “but I can take a message for him.”  
“And Mrs. Sugawara, maybe she’s here?”  
“The Mistress is here, yes. I will see if she can receive you. Who should I announce?”  
“Sawamura Daichi”, he said.

It didn’t take long before he heard someone running down the stairs, the door slammed open, and Kiyoko standing there in shock.

“Heavens!” she said, “it’s you, it’s really you!”

She grabbed him and hugged him tightly and he couldn’t help but smile – she was still as beautiful as the day he had left her.

“Five years, Daichi”, she said, her voice breaking, “you were gone for _five years_.”  
“It’s good to be back”, he said, his voice breaking, and he didn’t realize he was crying. Had he missed his old life that much?  
“Come in”, she said, “Yachi make us some tea”, she added for the maid, “and go the attic, there’s a chest with some of Daichi’s things in.”  
“Yes madam”, the maid answered.

Kiyoko stared at him, gently pushing his hair back.

“Mommy”, a voice asked suddenly, “who is that?”

Daichi turned around, gasping. A little boy was standing there, half-hidden behind a curtain. He was about five or six years old, with short dark hair and blue eyes. Kiyoko smiled gently and crouched to grasp the kid.

“This is Daichi”, she said, “a very old friend of mine and of your daddy’s.”

Daichi realized he wasn’t breathing anymore.

“Is that…?” he asked, staring at Kiyoko.

She nodded softly and he inhaled shakily.

“Victor”, she said, and he managed to smile.  
“Hello Victor”, he greeted the boy, “I’m pleased to meet you.”

The boy stared at him and then hid his face in his mother’s shoulder. She put him down and he quickly ran away.

“Come on”, she said, and he followed her to the drawing-room where they sat down with warm tea waiting for them. There was a long, heavy silence before she finally spoke. “We all thought you were dead.”  
“I am very much alive”, Daichi replied. He paused, and then: “I’m glad Sugawara took care of you. I could have never forgiven myself if I had been the cause of your demise.”

She smiled softly, her eyes suddenly sad.

“It was… an unfortunate event”, she said carefully. “Sugawara is as good to me as can be expected given our circumstances.” She eyed him a second before saying: “I can’t promise anything about his reaction. He was very much distraught by your last… _farewell_ and never really got over it.”

He couldn’t hold her gaze.

“Did you suffer much at the hands of the pirates?” she asked softly.  
“No”, he answered, without looking at her.  
“Daichi…”  
“I didn’t, Kiyoko. They… they were good to me.”  
“Pirates? _Good?_ What nonsense are you talking about?”  
“I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t starved. I lived… I lived well. I could have been dead, and yet I-” he choked on his words, realization downing on him. “What did I do”, he muttered between shaking breaths.

Kiyoko was staring at him, afraid, not knowing what to do.

“I shouldn’t be here”, he said, standing up. “I shouldn’t…”

The door opened, almost slamming against the door, making him spin on his heels. Sugawara was standing there, seething and reeking of alcohol.

“That was the most-”

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Daichi, looking at him with his mouth half-open.

“Da…ichi? Is that you? Is that really you?”  
“Suga” Daichi croaked.

He wasn’t ready for the right hook he received, nor for his best-friend stumbling into him, clearly drunk in the middle of the day. Sugawara gripped his collar tightly, pulling him close.

“Get the fuck away from my wife”, he snarled, “get out! OUT!”

The reaction pained him more than he would have expected, Sugawara pushing him out of his house, pushing him away.

“Sugawara wait!” Kiyoko called out, clearly frightened.  
“Stay out of it, bitch!” Sugawara seethed, glaring at her. “What, you thought you could refuse your own husband access to your bed, but get _him_ there?!”

Kiyoko took a step back – clearly this wasn’t the first time he had said something like this.

“You are drunk, dear”, she said soothingly.  
“How can you speak to her like that?” Daichi intervened, holding back Sugawara’s hand. “The man I knew would have never dared to say such things to a woman!”

The face Sugawara made was, by far, the most frightening Daichi had ever seen.

“The man _you_ knew? What should I say then? I _trusted_ you, and you…” he sneered, “you’re just one of _them_.”

Daichi stared at them.

“I shouldn’t have come here”, he said, walking away.  
“Daichi, wait! Where are you going?!” Kiyoko cried out.  
“It no longer your concern”, he simply answered, closing the door behind him. “This place is no longer my home”, he murmured, looking at the city around him.

There was only one place he called home now. One place he desperately wanted to go back to. He tightened his fist. It didn’t matter if it took years, but he would go back to Ushijima. And no one would stop him.

 

Five months later, he finally heard of _Shiratorizawa_ again. They had defeated the Iron Wall of Dateko, a fortified town on the New Land that belonged to England. The governor had been killed, and England was setting out a new ship to stop _Shiratorizawa_ and avenge them. That’s how Daichi found himself under the command of a young brat, Oikawa Tooru, as his quarter-master. The second, Iwaizumi Hajime, seemed to be a much more sensible man. Not that any sensible man would attack the _Shiratorizawa_ anyway, but… this was his chance.

 

They were following their trace when they got caught up in a storm that damaged the ship and its captain’s knee, forcing them to stop at Nassau for repairs. _Nassau_. It was the only place where he had been allowed to roam, since the pirates would spill the secret of his presence anyway. The only place where people knew him for whom he really was - the _Sassenach Lover_. And after being authorized on shore, he walked straight to that one inn where he knew Tendou used to come. A place where no red-coat would step with a sane mind. A place where, as soon as he entered, every conversation stopped, and all eyes turned to him. Then, a murmur. _Isn’t that the Sassenach Lover?_

“What are you doing here of all places?” a voice he knew too well asked.  
“Tendou”, he said with a smile. “It’s good to see you.”  
“Good? Well now that’s what I call a surprise.”  
“Where is Ushijima?”

Tendou sighed.

“Come on. I shall guide you there.”

They walked down narrow, dark streets and alleys and back-alleys before they got to the house. A simple, small one.

“He is there”, Tendou said.  
“Thank you”, Daichi answered before stepping forward.  
“I must warn you”, Tendou said, gripping his arm. “You’re putting him in danger. You shouldn’t be here.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Oikawa has let the Mad Dog out, and he’s searching for Ushijima. Everyone here knows about your connection, and Oikawa won’t be long to connect the dots.”  
“I _must_ see him”, Daichi said. He looked over at the house. “I need to come back.”  
“What, and become one of us?” Tendou laughed. “You’re too much of a goody-two shoes to do that. To righteous to be a pirate.”

He was right, and Daichi knew that. Still, he smiled and pulled away.

“Just you wait and see.”

 

“Wakatoshi?” he called as he pushed the door open.

Ushijima’s chair fell with a loud crash as he grabbed for his pistols, before lowering them when he realized who was standing there. In two strides, he was on the other side of the room, holding Daichi tight in his arms.

“God”, he murmured, “I have never been so glad to see a red-coat.”  
“I have never been so glad to have pistols pointed at me”, Daichi answered. “Kiss me, Wakatoshi.”

And Ushijima kissed him, again and again, until the last seven months were nothing more than a bad dream, until their skin was tingling, burning with every touch. Until there was no longer a Navy Officer and a Wanted Pirate, but naked bodies holding on tight onto each other in fear of drowning. It wasn’t until much later that they calmed down, and the sun was already about to set. Daichi was dozing off to the roll of Ushijima’s fingers against his spine, their warmth mingling into that something so familiar.

“I missed you”, Daichi finally said. “I missed you so much.”  
“I didn’t know where to find you”, Ushijima answered. “I was worried about you, Daichi.”

Slowly, he bent to kiss his lips, Daichi rolling around to loop his arms around him.

“I want to stay like this forever”, Daichi murmured.  
“As you wish”, Ushijima replied, staring into his eyes.  
“No one moves!” a voice yelled as the door slammed open, a very angry-looking man coming in. “Finally I’ve got you Ushiji-” His eyes widened at the scene of an English officer laying there, entirely naked, in the arms of a no more covered pirate “-ma?”

The Mad Dog seemed to be at a loss about what to do, and the soldiers standing by him weren’t doing any better.

“Why aren’t you firing, Kyouken?” a cheery voice said.  
“Sir, I-”

Oikawa entered the room, as perfectly groomed as usual. Almost ridiculously so. He took in the scene and grabbed Kyoutani’s firearm.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Daichi”, he said. “Though I should have expected it after hearing of you from Koushi.”

Daichi’s eyes widened. Sugawara would never have sold him. _Never_. Right?

“I hope you’ve said your prayers, though I doubt it would be of any use now”, Oikawa said with a wry smile. “We can’t let any of this be known, I’m sure you understand. A scandal in the Navy is never good. I will only say Ushijima fought back when we came to arrest him, and that he killed you. How does that sound?”

Daichi’s fingers tightened on Ushijima’s as he slowly turned around to look at him. Ushijima simply smiled sadly.

“This night was worth all the treasures of the world, Daichi”, he murmured.  
“We deserve much better than we’ve had”, Daichi answered, “but I would still take it over a thousand lives not knowing you.”  
“I love you.”  
“I l-”

 

“Just bury them somewhere”, Oikawa said, turning away. “There is no use remembering them.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it, don't hesitate to comment and let me know what you thought!


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